Researchers at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social research found people who believed they could change their lives by their own actions ate healthier.

Dr. Bea says that people who leave their lifestyle to fate are looking for the easy way out. “Our brains are moldable; they can be changed,” he says. “They get changed through hard effort, practice and rehearsals that really stick once you incorporate them.”

Dr. Bea says developing healthy lifestyle changes may be uncomfortable at first, but be patient — they pay off in the end.